Refrigerating apparatus



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. GALIN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS June 2, 1964 FiledOct. 19, 1960 INVENTOR.

Robert Ga/in BY g h'is Attorney June 2, 1964 RRRRR IN June 2, 19-64 R.GALIN 3,135,460

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1960 5 Sheats$heet 3 Fig. 3

INVENTOR. Robert Gal/n Blz His Attorney June 2, 1964 R. GALIN 3,135,460

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fly. 4 3 72SI 20 INVENTOR.

. Roberf Gal/n Fig-5 sy His A ffarney June 2, 1964 R. GALIN 3,135,460

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 19, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.Robert Gal/n Bl wgg His Afforney United States Patent M 3,135,450REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Robert Galin, Eellbrook, Ohio, assignor toGeneral Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of DelawareFiled Get. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 63,620 11 Claims. (Cl. 230-133) Thisinvention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to arotary compressor for use in refrigcrating systems and the like.

It is an object of this invention to provide a rotary compressor whichis inherently balanced without resorting to the use of counterweights.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved compressorarrangement wherein the torque required for driving the shaft during thecompression stroke is distributed over a relatively large angle ofrotation so as to reduce the torsional vibration and the startingtorque.

Another object of this invention is to provide a compressor wherein thecapacity can be readily varied.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rotary compressorwherein the need for critical radial dimensions is minimized.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved arrangementfor holding the compressor assembly in place within the outer housing.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved valvingarrangement for the compressor wherein the valve noises are nottransmitted to the outside of the compressor.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 1-1 of FIGURE2;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIGURE1; 7

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5of FIGURE 4; and.

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the capacity varyingmeans shifted.

Referring now to the drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of theinvention is disclosed, reference numeral 10 designates a stationarysupport or frame element which forms one end plate of the outercompressor housing. The outer compressor housing includes a cylindricalportion 12 which fits between the stationary frameelement Ill and an endplate 14 so best shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 of the drawings. A drive shaft16 is 'journaled in the members 10 and 14 and has securedto its outerend a drive pulley 18. The drive shaft 16 has an enlarged impellerportion 20 intermediate its ends which serves to slidably support threevanes 22, as best shown in FIG- URE 4 of the drawings. The vanes 22 forma part of the impeller assembly and are biased outwardly by means ofcoil springs 24.

A cylindrical element 26 surrounds the portion 26 and the vanes 22 so asto form a compression chamber surrounding the impeller assembly. Theelement 25 is rotatably supported within an outer cylindrical member 30which surrounds the element 26. The rotatable element 26 is providedwith suction or compressor inlet ports 56 which shift with the element26 so as to vary the capacity of the compressor. The one end of thecompression 3,135,469 Patented June 2, 1964 chamber is closed by an endplate member 32 which is secured to the member 30 and the'end plate 14by the bolts 42 so as to form a compressor assemblage.

The member 32 is provided with an axial projection 34 which forms anintegral part of the end plate 32 and which is provided with externalthreads 36 which cooperate with internal threads 38 formed on a nut 40.The nut 40, in turn, is rotatably supported in the outer end plate ormain frame 10, as best shown in FIGURE 1. When the nut 40 is tightened,the outer housing element 12 is firmly clamped between the stationaryframe 10 and the compressor end plate 14. Suitable O-ring seals 41 areprovided as needed for preventing the escape of gas at the variousjoints in the casing. 'With such an arrangement it is not necessary toweld the joints in the outer casing and consequently the compressor canbe disassembled for inspection and repair purposes if necessary.

The member 26 is provided with gear teeth 44 on its outer peripheryadjacent the one end of the member 26 and these gear teeth mesh with apinion 46 secured to the shaft 48. As shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings,the shaft 48 is journaled in the end plate member 14 and has its outerend exposed to the outside of the compressor casing so as to make itpossible to shift the position of the member 26 merely by rotating theshaft 48. Any suitable means, manual or automatic, can be provided forrotating the shaft 48 so as to rotate the cylindrical element 26 tothereby vary the compressor output.

The gas to be compressed enters the compressor through the inlet passage50 which extends from the inlet in the end plate 14 and throughout theentire length of the member 30 which surrounds the inner cylindricalmember 26. Each of the end plates 14 and 32 is provided with a cutawayportion 61 which facilitates the flow of gas into the inlet of thecompressor. The member 30 is provided with an internal circumferentiallyextending groove 52 which assists in distributing the gas to becompressed as it flows from the main compressor inlet 50 into the maincompression chamber 54. The inner cylindrical member 26 is provided witha plurality of radial slots 56 through which the gas to be compressed isrequired to flow. For purpose of illustration three of these slots 56have been shown, whereas any suitable number of slots could be used.

In the relative position of the inner cylindrical member 26 and theouter cylindrical member 30, as shown in FIG- URE 4 of the drawings, thecompressor will have maximum capacity, whereas, if the inner cylindricalmember 26 is shifted into the position in which it is shown in FIGURE 6,the capacity of the compressor will be materially reduced due toshifting the location of the inlet port slots 56. By shifting theseinlet port slots one varies the volume of low pressure gas which istrapped between adjacent vanes before the trailing vane moves past theinlet port slots. Thus, when the cylindrical member 26 occupies theposition shown in FIGURE 4, the size of the compression chamber issubstantially at its maximum when the trailing vane closes the inletport slots. The degree of reduction in capacity will, of course, dependupon the extent to which the element 26 has been shifted.

The gas which is compressed by the vanes 22 as they rotate ina'clockwise direction is allowed to leave the compression chamberthrough a plurality of valve outlet ports 60 formed directly in the mainrotor 20. As best shown in FIGURES 1, 4 and 6 of the drawings, the rotor20 is provided with radial passages 62 which communicate with a centralbore 64 provided in the shaft 16. By placing the outlet ports directlyin the rotor itself, severalimportant advantages result. In the firstplace the valve noises are not transmitted to the exterior of thecompressor unit to any appreciable extent with the result that thecompressor operates very quietly. It will be noted that the compressordoes not require any reed valves or the like for the inlet ports 56 andthis further adds to the quiet operation of the compressor. Anotheradvantage of providing discharge ports which are arranged, as shown inFIGURE 4 of the drawings, is that the radial passages 62 can be extendedso as to vent the inner ends of the slots in which the divider blades 22are slidably mounted. Thus, the inner ends of the vanes 22 are at alltimes subjected to a pressure corresponding to the outlet pressure.

The passages 62 in conjunction with the axial passage 64 serve to mufflethe compressor discharge noises in a most effective manner. After thecompressed gas leaves the passage 64, it flows through a passage 70 (seeFIG- URE 3) which leads to the space '72 between the outer shell portion12 and the member 30. Thus, it will be seen that the main compressorcylinder is completely surrounded by high pressure gas and that thechamber 72 can serve as an effective oil separating chamber wherein anydroplets of oil discharged from the compressor can settle out from thecompressed gas before the compressed gas leaves through the compressoroutlet passage '76.

A conventional oil pump including an inner oil gear 80 keyed to theshaft 16 and an outer gear 82 is provided, as shown. The inlet 84 forthe oil pump is arranged as shown in FIGURE 1 and serves to withdrawlubricant from the bottom portion of the outer housing element 12. Aportion of the oil leaves the oil pump through a series of communicatingpassages 86 which serve to distribute the oil to the various shaftbearing surfaces and other surfaces requiring lubrication. A portion ofthe oil leaves the pump through a small port 88 which supplies a limitedamount of lubricant to the shaft seal assembly 90. The shaft sealassembly 90 is of conventional construction and serves to prevent theescape of compressed gas at the point where the shaft 16 passes throughthe element 40. Since the oil seal is of conventional construction, itwill not be described in greater detail.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a rotary compressor, the combination, a stationary member, meanscarried by said stationary member forming a cylindrical chamber, arotatable impeller member mounted in said chamber having its axis ofrotation offset relative to the central axis of said chamber, saidrotatable member having a point of contact with one portion of the innerwall of said chamber, a vane carried by and slidably supported in saidrotatable member and separating said chamber into suction andcompression chambers, an outlet port in said rotatable mem bercommunicating With said compression chamber, an inlet port in said walland means for shifting the position of said inlet port about the centralaxis of said chamber relative to said point of contact so as to vary theoutput of said compressor.

2. In a rotary compressor, a frame, a drive shaft rotatably supported insaid frame, cylinder means secured to said frame, impeller means on saidshaft within said cylinder means, the axis of rotation of said impellerbeing offset from the axis of said cylinder means, said impeller beingarranged to contact one portion of the inner periphery of said cylindermeans, an inlet port provided in said cylinder means, a divider bladecarried by said impeller, an outlet port disposed adjacent said dividerblade in said impeller, and compressor capacity varying means includingmeans for rotating said cylinder about its axis so as to shift thelocation of said inlet port relative to the point of contact betweensaid impeller and said cylinder means.

3. In a rotary compressor, a frame, a drive shaft rotatably supported insaid frame, cylinder means secured to said frame, impeller means on saidshaft within said cylinder means, the axis of rotation of said impellerbeing offset from the axis of said cylinder means, said impeller beingarranged to contact one portion of the inner periphery of said cylindermeans, an inlet port provided in said cylinder means, a divider bladecarried by said impeller, an outlet port disposed adjacent said dividerblade in said impeller, and compressor capacity varying means includingmeans for rotating said cylinder about its axis so as to shift thelocation of said inlet port relative to the point of contact betweensaid impeller and said cylinder means, said impeller having a peripheralslot in which said blade reciprocates, and means connecting the innerend of said slot to the outlet port in said impeller.

4. In a rotary compressor, a frame, a drive shaft rotatably supported insaid frame, cylinder means secured to said frame, impeller means on saidshaft Within said cylinder means, the axis of rotation of said impellerbeing offset from the axis of said cylinder means, said impeller beingarranged to contact one portion of the inner periphery of said cylindermeans, an inlet port provided in said cylinder means, a divider bladecarried by said impeller, an outlet port disposed adjacent said dividerblade in said impeller, and compressor capacity varying means includingmeans for rotating said cylinder about its axis so as to shift thelocation of said inlet port relative to the point of contact betweensaid impeller and said cylinder means, said impeller having a peripheralslot in which said blade reciprocates, and means connecting the innerend of said slot to the outlet port in said impeller, said last namedmeans comprising a radial passage passing through the center of saidimpeller.

5. In combination, a stationary frame member, a drive shaft, an impellercarried by said drive shaft, cylinder means surrounding said impeller, apair of end plates closing the ends of said cylinder and forming withsaid cylinder a compression chamber, means for interconnecting saidcylinder means and said end plates, said compression chamber having aninlet port, and outlet port communicating with said compression chamber,one of said end plates having a threaded projection on its one sidehaving threads spaced from but surrounding said shaft, means forattaching said one end plate to said stationary frame including meansforming a threaded projection in threaded engagement with said firstnamed threaded projection and further including means in engagement withsaid stationary frame member for supporting said end plate thereon, saiddrive shaft being journaled in one of said projections.

6. In combination, a stationary frame member, a drive shaft, an impellercarried by said drive shaft, cylinder means surrounding said impeller, apair of end plates closing the ends of said cylinder and forming withsaid cylinder a compression chamber, means for interconnecting saidcylinder means and said end plates, said compression chamber having aninlet port, an outlet port, communicating with said compression chamber,one of said end plates having a threaded projection on its one sidehaving threads spaced from but surrounding said shaft, means forattaching said one end plate to said stationary frame including meansforming a threaded projection in threaded engagement with said firstnamed threaded projection and further including means in engagement withsaid stationary frame member for supporting said end plate thereon, saiddrive shaft being journaled in one of said projections and an outercasing element located between the other of said end plates and saidframe member and forming an oil sump between said outer casing elementand said cylinder means, said attaching means further including means inaxial abutment with said stationary member for clamping said outercasing between said other end plate and said frame member.

7. In combination, a stationary frame member, a drive s,135,aeo

shaft, an impeller carried by said drive shaft, cylinder meanssurrounding said impeller, a pair of end plates closing the ends of saidcylinder and forming with said cylinder a compression chamber, means forinterconnecting said cylinder means and said end plates, saidcompression chamber having an inlet port, an outlet port, communicatingwith said compression chamber, one of said end plates having a threadedprojection on its one side having threads spaced from but surroundingsaid shaft, means for attaching said one end plate to said stationaryframe including means forming a threaded projection in threadedengagement with said first named threaded projection and furtherincluding means in engagement with said stationary frame member forsupporting said end plate thereon, said drive shaft being journaled inone of said projections and an outer casing element located between theother of said end plates and said frame member and forming an oil sumpbetween said outer casing element and said cylinder means, saidattaching means further including means in axial abutment with saidstationary member for clamping said outer casing between said other endplate and said frame member, said cylinder means comprising an innerrotatable cylindrical sleeve having an inlet port in its periphery and astationary cylindrical support for said sleeve having a gas passagecommunicating with said inlet port.

8. In combination, a stationary frame member, a drive shaft, an impellercarried by said drive shaft, cylinder means surrounding said impeller, apair of end plates closing the ends of said cylinder and forming withsaid cylinder a compression chamber, means for interconnecting saidcylinder means and said end plates, said compression chamber having aninlet port, an outlet port communicating with said compression chamber,one of said end plates having a threaded projection on its one sidehaving threads spaced from but surrounding said shaft, means forattaching said one end plate to said stationary frame including meansforming a threaded projection in threaded engagement with said firstnamed threaded projection and further including means in engagement withsaid stationary frame member for supporting said end plate thereon, saiddrive shaft being journaled in one of said projections and an outercasing element located between the other of said end plates and saidframe member and forming an oil sump between said outer casing elementand said cylinder means, said attaching means further including means inaxial abutment with said stationary member for clamping said outercasing between said other end plate and said frame member, said cylindermeans comprising an inner rotatable cylindrical sleeve having an inletport in its periphery and a stationary cylindrical support for saidsleeve having a gas passage communicating with said inlet port, saidcylindrical sleeve being spaced from said cylindrical support oppositesaid inlet port so as to provide a gas passage therebetween.

9. In a rotary compressor, a main support, a drive shaft rotatablymounted in said support, impeller means on said shaft, cylinder meanssurrounding said impeller means, a pair of end plates for closing theends of said cylinder means, the axis of rotation of said impeller beingoffset from the axis of said cylinder means, said impeller beingarranged to contact one portion of the inner periphery of said cylindermeans, an inlet port provided in said cylinder means, a divider bladecarried by said impeller,

an outlet port disposed adjacent said divider blade in said impeller,and means for rotating said cylinder about its axis so as to shift thelocation of said inlet port.

10. In combination, a stationary frame member, a drive shaft, animpeller carried by said drive shaft, cylinder means surrounding saidimpeller, a pair of end plates for closing the ends of said cylindermeans, a plurality of bolts for securing said end plates to saidcylinder means, one of said end plates having a threaded projection onits one side, a nut rotatably carried by said stationary frame memberhaving a first portion in axial abutment with said stationary framemember and having a second portion projecting through said frame memberfor engaging said threaded projection so as to hold said cylinder meansand end plates in assembled relationship on said frame member.

11. In a rotary compressor, the combination, a stationary member, adrive shaft rotatably mounted on said member, means carried by saidstationary member forming a cylindrical compression chamber, a rotatableimpeller on said shaft and disposed in said chamber, said rotatableimpeller being smaller in diameter than said chamber and having contactWith the wall of the chamber adjacent one side of said shaft, a vaneslidably supported in the outer periphery of said impeller, an outletport in said impeller, a valve in said outlet port, a gas passage formedin said shaft and communicating with said outlet port, and means forsubjecting the inner end of said vane to a pressure corresponding to thepressure in said gas passage, said last named means comprising aradially extending passage in alignment with and forming an extension ofsaid outlet port.

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1. IN A ROTARY COMPRESSOR, THE COMBINATION, A STATIONARY MEMBER, MEANSCARRIED BY SAID STATIONARY MEMBER FORMING A CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER, AROTATABLE IMPELLER MEMBER MOUNTED IN SAID CHAMBER HAVING ITS AXIS OFROTATION OFFSET RELATIVE TO THE CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID CHAMBER, SAIDROTATABLE MEMBER HAVING A POINT OF CONTACT WITH ONE PORTION OF THE INNERWALL OF SAID CHAMBER, A VANE CARRIED BY AND SLIDABLY SUPPORTED IN SAIDROTATABLE MEMBER AND SEPARATING SAID CHAMBER INTO SUCTION ANDCOMPRESSION CHAMBERS, AN OUTLET PORT IN SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERCOMMUNICATING WITH SAID COMPRESSION CHAMBER, AN INLET PORT IN SAID WALLAND MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE POSITION OF SAID INLET PORT ABOUT THE CENTRALAXIS OF SAID CHAMBER RELATIVE TO SAID POINT OF CONTACT SO AS TO VARY THEOUTPUT OF SAID COMPRESSOR.